Thomas Donnelly writes: These days, the presence of a U.S. aircraft carrier in the South China Sea is a big deal, or at least a big enough one to yank the secretary of defense halfway around the world, along with his public relations team. And while there's more to American military power than aircraft carriers, the gap between Carter's breast-beating and the day-to-day balance in the western Pacific is not just dissonant. It is the very emblem of weakness. – The Weekly Standard

All the radar systems, lighthouses, barracks, ports and airfields that China has set up on its newly built island chain in the South China Sea require tremendous amounts of electricity, hard to come by in a place hundreds of miles from the country’s power grid. Beijing may have come up with a solution: floating nuclear power plants. – NYT’s SinosphereWith an eye on China's more muscular stance in the South China Sea, Southeast Asian governments are stepping up efforts to replace aging fighter aircraft fleets, paving the way for multi-billion dollar deals in a boon for warplane makers. - Reuters